Actors’ strike threatens to paralyze Hollywood

Los Angeles, Oct 3 (DPA) The prospects for an actors’ strike that could paralyze Hollywood increased after negotiators for the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) called for a strike authorization vote from the union’s 120,000 members.The union’s National Board will weigh the recommendation when it meets Oct 18. The Screen Actors Guild is the last of the major Hollywood unions to sign a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) after guilds for the writers, directors, and daytime actors all signed new pacts with the major studios last year.

The sticking point remains the level of residual payments for works that are shown over the Internet and other digital media.

According to the advisory motion approved by the negotiating committee, “negotiators have requested that the AMPTP return to the bargaining table to negotiate a fair deal, and the AMPTP has refused to change their position and continued to refuse to meet to attempt to advance the negotiations.”

The AMPTP denounced the strike call and said it was unrealistic for SAG to demand better terms than those agreed with the other trade unions last year.

“Not only is the business suffering from recent economic decisions, but if ever there was a time when Americans wanted the diversions of movies and TV, it is now,” the AMPTP said in a statement.